| 87. |  Leonard Ben Gerdes, Jr  (42.Maurene3, 9.Robert2, 1.Robert1) was born on 20 Oct 1925 in Portland, San Patricio, Texas; died on 7 Jan 2017 in Aransas Pass, Aransas County, Texas, United States of America; was buried in Victoria, Victoria County, Texas, USA. Other Events and Attributes:
- Name: L.B.
- Residence: 1930, Precinct 1, San Patricio, Texas, USA; Marital Status: Single; Relation to Head: Son
- Residence: 1935, St. Paul, San Patricio, Texas
- Residence: 1940, J P 1, San Patricio, Texas, USA; Marital Status: Single; Relation to Head: Son
- Residence: 1943, Victoria, Victoria, Texas, USA; Age: 18; RelationToHead: Self
- _MILT: 1943; World War II Draft Card - Occupation: Mowan Studio; Complexion: Light; EyeColor: Gray; HairColor: Brown; Height: 5 8; Weight: 154
- _MILT: 5 Jan 1946; World War II Navy Muster Rolls
- Residence: 1986, Victoria, TX
- Residence: 1993, Victoria, TX
Notes:
1925
Born in Portland, Tx, his dad, LB Sr., was a carpenter.
1928
Moved to Corpus Christi at age 3. LB Sr. built their home there. Maurene would always talk about their nice home he had built in Corpus. LB Jr. recalled one time he had left the lavatory water on while he and his mom went on a trip. When they returned the bathroom was flooded and he was in hot water with his mom.
1930
Left Corpus Christi as age 5 and went to Petronelia, Tx where LB Sr. had bought a gin. They lived in an old shack next to the gin for about a year. LB Sr. built a new house next to the gin, which they moved into the next year. The gin ran on batteries and LB’s new home was also powered with the electricity from the gin. It was the only house in that area that had lights. Most homes just had outhouses but LB’s home also had a bathroom.
There was no Catholic church in Petronelia, so LB Sr. would take LB to the Catholic Church in Kingsville, Tx. LB recalled his dad always receiving communion but he was not allowed to which frustrated LB because he had not received the sacraments yet.
LB would visit his grandparents, RT and May Rankin in Corpus Christi and also his Aunt Toad and Uncle Jess Mitchell, who lived near by. The Rankin’s and Mitchell’s moved around a lot.
On one of the many visits to the Mitchell’s, uncle Elbert, a freshmen in high school, got tired of his mischievous nephews LB and Alton Mitchell and locked them into an out house. Another time Alton got LB to and himself into trouble when they scaled aunt Toad’s gold fish and returned them to her gold fish bowl. They died of course and aunt Toad had their hides. On still another occasion, Alton put marbles up his nose and tried to get LB to also. But LB would have nothing to do with it and LB’s mom had to fish out each marble with a utensil. Ouch!
1935
LB’s brother Tommy was born in Corpus right before they moved to Sinton. LB was 10 when his family moved to Sinton. LB Sr. built the Alamo Drive-In, a café serving beer and hamburgers and had slot machines.
During that time LB’s mom and dad were having problems and divorced while they were Undisclosed in Sinton. LB Sr. moved off and LB, Tommy and his mom moved in with Grandma May Gerdes.
LB remembers his grandma Gerdes as a devout Catholic who taught him the catholic faith and got LB baptized. LB’s mom was not a churchgoer.
LB went to the public school in Sinton. There was a Catholic school across the street that LB wanted to attend because they had smaller classes and were all neatly dressed. LB’s mom finally let him attend the Catholic school where brother, St John the Baptist was one of his teachers along with several sisters. LB remembers sister use to read them stories like Heidi, right before lunch if they had been good that morning. He and his classmates would really try to be good so sister would read to them. LB wanted to be and alter boy but he had to learn a lot of Latin before he was allowed to.
During the hot summers, LB would spend many hours at the air-conditioned Rio Alto Theater in Sinton, where you could see a movie for only pennies.
LB’s mom remarried while in Sinton to Wit Childers whom she met at the Alamo Drive-In.
LB was grandma May Gerdes first grandchild. Grandma Gerdes spoke fluent German and good English. LB remembers seeing his great grandpa Meyer at his grandma Gerdes in Sinton. Grandma Gerdes was a great cook and would always serve a spread of German food especially fine deserts.
BF Gerdes (LB’s granddad) and his brother Casper Gerdes both married Meyer sisters, Helena and Antonia. They live across the Chilapean Creek from each other in Sinton. Uncle Casper and aunt Tony had a gin on his side of the creek and BF worked with Casper while LB was in Sinton. Later, Casper Jr. had a gin outside of Sinton in Elroy.
LB would go with his uncle Roger wade fishing. Uncle Roger loved to fish and would never seem to want to stop while LB would get tired of fishing quickly.
While in Sinton, granddad and grandma Rankin moved to Sinton. They had a café there. They were not churchgoers.
1939
LB moved to Mound Creek when he was a freshman and stayed there for a half year. LB went to the nearest high school in Nixon.
LB’s step dad Wit Childers had to work out of town a lot because of his job, so LB and his mom and brother lived with his uncle Jess and aunt Toad Mitchell for a while. The Mitchell’s were both elementary school teachers.
1940 December
LB moved to Victoria at midterm in December in the middle of his sophomore year. He was not eligible to play football because of transfer rules.
Alton, uncle Jess and aunt Toad Mitchell also moved to Victoria in 1941 and opened Mitchell Cleaners (they left in 1943). Alton’s cousin, Jack Mitchell and his parents also moved to Victoria. Uncle Jess and Jack’s dad were brothers and owned and operated the Mitchell Cleaners. LB, Alton and Jack all went to Victoria High School and graduated from there in 1943. Jack’s younger sister use to run around with Doris Jacobs (Ann Jacobs sister).
1942
Ann was a senior and LB was a Junior at Victoria High School.
One story Ann and LB recalled was when Ann was dating a senior athlete, last name Schroeder. The Schroeder boy called up Ann and informed her that he would not be unable to take Ann to a senior party that night because of an athletic event. So Edith Jacobs suggested to Ann to ask that nice young boy, LB, who lived next door to them. Ann asked LB and he agreed to take her to the party. But Ann’s previous date got back in time to take Ann to the party. Ann was in a quandary, so she got both young boys to take her to the party. LB was not very happy with being second fiddle and Ann said he did not talk to her for a while after the party. But he got over it and LB took Ann to all the rest of the senior parties that year.
CC Fallpel was owner of Jewelry store on Santa Rosa St in Victoria, which had a photo shop as part of the store. Photographer Bob Kerr ran the photo shop and bought out CC Fallpel as owner of the store. Later Charles Mound bought out Bob Kerr as owner. While in High School, LB worked in the photo shop, and worked for all 3 owners. He would work Friday through Sunday and make $5.00 a week. LB did all the Kodak finishing at the shop.
1943
LB graduated from Victoria High School, Ann had graduated the previous year. Maurene (Gerdes) and Witt Childers moved to Rockport right after LB graduated. LB would ride the bus to Rockport to visit them. From graduation in May till he entered the service the next year, LB rented a room in Victoria.
1944
LB went into the service in Feb of 1944. Before going into the service, he quit his job in the photo shop and worked for NO Jacobs in his Jewelry store (in the front) while waiting for his orders.
1945
After graduation, LB and Ann had gotten engaged. While LB was in the Navy he asked NO Jacobs to get a wedding ring for Ann (she did not know). LB arranged with the Jacobs for a surprise wedding when he got off on leave. He came back on leave and surprised Ann and they got married on June 6, 1945.
There was a hitch though. They were planning to get married at Foster Field by a Chaplin who would kind of a neutral minister since LB was Catholic and Ann was First Christian. But the Chaplin got sick and they had to get a Catholic Priest, Father Richard Toal, a red head Irish Priest. Edith Jacobs, Ann’s mom, was not at all happy with this and kept Ann crying and up the entire night before. It took Ann’s aunt Lottie who talked Edith into changing her mind about having the wedding.
The reception was as Stella Skinners, Ann’s aunt, and Photographer Mowen took the wedding pictures.
Maurene and Tommy Childers came from Lavernia where RT Rankin lived to the wedding. Maurene and Tommy had moved from Rockport to live with the Rankins, Witt Childers was off on one of his long jobs away somewhere in Texas.
LB was a seaman in the US Navy…
LB was the ships Photographer…
LB got out on emergency leave one time to come home for his granddad RT Rankin’s funeral.
1946
LB got out of the service in Jan of 1946. He went into the Photo School at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville.
LB was already at school so Edith Jacobs drove Ann up to Sam. On the way they had a flat on a hill and the car was loaded down with Ann’s stuff. A nice gentleman just happened to stop by and help fix their flat.
LB got $90 a month on the GI bill. LB and Ann lived just off the square in downtown Huntsville. They did not have a car so they had to walk the half dozen blocks to the school. LB worked for the school yearbook. Ann took a modern arts class while they were there.
They were in Sam only until July of 1946. LB graduated early because he already knew everything about photography.
LB and Ann moved back to Victoria where LB opened Gerdes Photography Studio on Constitution Street in Aug 1946. LB had bought out a beauty parlor for $3000 and converted it into a studio. He had also bought his studio equipment from a former employer, Mr. Mowan who was moving.
Ann got a secretarial job from Pat Kelly in a law office. Ann good friend Betty Janda had called Ann about the job opening.
1950
Ann and LB had their first child, Ginger Gail, on June 20, 1950.
LB was in the Navy Reserve (USSNR). He was called up in Oct 1950 during the Korean War and got out in Jan of
1952.
LB Sr. came up from Port Lavaca, where he was helping build the High School there, to help LB remodel the Studio when he got back from the Korean War in 1952. While LB was away, LB had some helpers, doing mainly Kodak finishing, keep the Studio open and Ann would go by and check in on things.
While LB was on leave in California, Ben Frank and Stella Skinner took Ann and baby Ginger to California to see LB. The Skinners went to visit their son Ben Frank Jr.
Biography
Leonard Ben “L. B.” Gerdes Jr. was born on October 20, 1925, in Portland, Texas. He was the son of Leonard Ben Gerdes Sr. and Maurene L. Rankin Gerdes1. During World War II and the Korean Conflict, he served his country with pride in the U.S. Navy. After his military service, Leonard pursued a career as a professional photographer and became the owner of Gerdes Photographer in Victoria, Texas, where he worked for 41 years1. His dedication to capturing moments through the lens left a lasting impact on the community. Leonard Ben Gerdes Jr. passed away on January 7, 2017, at the age of 91, leaving behind a legacy of creativity and service1. He rests at the Resurrection Catholic Cemetery in Victoria, Texas
LB Sr. was a carpenter.
Name:
Family Photos
Buried:
FindAGrave Cemetery Memorial
Resurrection Cemetery Mausoleum, Mausoleum#1 - L Wing, R Wall - D3
Leonard married Alice Ann Jacobs on 7 Jun 1945 in Victoria, TX. Alice (daughter of Nelson Otto "Jake" Jacobs and Mary Priscilla "Edith" Coffey) was born on 27 Oct 1925 in Victoria, TX; died on 7 Sep 2011 in Victoria, Tx; was buried in Resurrection Catholic Cemetery, Victoria, Tx. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
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1833 - 1898 (64 years)
Robert Thomas Rankin 
Maurene Lee Rankin 
Sidney Garner Rankin 
Thelma Katie (Toad) Rankin 
Elbert Lewis Rankin 
